The Tempest
William Shakespeare
, Summary
Act I
Scene I
The play opens on a ship, where a tempestuous storm threatens to sink everyone on
board.
We are introduced to the characters of Gonzalo, Sebastian and Antonio.
Gonzalo is an advisor to the king, Alonso. Sebastian is his brother. Antonio is the
brother of Prospero (the protagonist of The Tempest).
This scene is significant for a few reasons:
1. Firstly, the characters reactions to the prospect of their death tells us a lot about
them.
- Gonzalo, for example, continuously references the workings of fate in the
affair- ‘’The wills above be done’’, etc. This tells us about his value system,
and how he sees the world.
- Sebastian and Antonio use colourful invectives against the boatswain, who are
desperately trying to sail the ship through the storm. This tells us they are not
particularly likable, or pleasant individuals- a view that is confirmed later on.
2. This scene is also a riveting and exciting opening scene. Remember,
Shakespeare’s plays were created to be performed in theatre, not read. The staging
on this play would have had to convey the sense of a ship about to sink, and would
certainly create an enthralling introduction to The Tempest as a whole.
Scene II
The setting now shifts to the island, which is the central and sole location of this play.
As a side point, this is something particularly interesting about The Tempest. The play
is rich in characters, and narrative, but, unlike majority of the rest of Shakespeare’s
pieces, there is only one location on which the action takes place- the island.
Two important characters are introduced: Prospero, the grand master magician and
ruler of the island, and his daughter, Miranda.
Miranda, seeing the storm, asks her father, who she assumes put ‘’the wild waters in
this roar’’, to stop the tempest.
Prospero reassures his daughter, saying that he has done nothing but care for her.
He then proceeds to tell her about his history, what happened before they arrived on
the island twelve years before.
At that time, Prospero was ‘’the Duke of Milan and / a prince of power.’’ Prospero,
however, was more inclined to occupy his time with ‘’secret studies’’, and thrust the
responsibilities of government upon his brother, Antonio.
Antonio used his power to ‘’set all the heart i’ the state/ to what tune pleased his ear’’,
i.e., to get people to support him.
Antonio then conspired with the King of Naples, an enemy of Prospero, to usurp
Prospero from the dukedom and give all power to his brother. One night, a
‘’treacherous army’’ led Prospero and Miranda out of the city, and out of his power.
They were put on an old, wrecked ship and set out to sea. By ‘’Providence divine’’,
they washed ashore the island.
They had some food, clothes and books from Gonzalo.
William Shakespeare
, Summary
Act I
Scene I
The play opens on a ship, where a tempestuous storm threatens to sink everyone on
board.
We are introduced to the characters of Gonzalo, Sebastian and Antonio.
Gonzalo is an advisor to the king, Alonso. Sebastian is his brother. Antonio is the
brother of Prospero (the protagonist of The Tempest).
This scene is significant for a few reasons:
1. Firstly, the characters reactions to the prospect of their death tells us a lot about
them.
- Gonzalo, for example, continuously references the workings of fate in the
affair- ‘’The wills above be done’’, etc. This tells us about his value system,
and how he sees the world.
- Sebastian and Antonio use colourful invectives against the boatswain, who are
desperately trying to sail the ship through the storm. This tells us they are not
particularly likable, or pleasant individuals- a view that is confirmed later on.
2. This scene is also a riveting and exciting opening scene. Remember,
Shakespeare’s plays were created to be performed in theatre, not read. The staging
on this play would have had to convey the sense of a ship about to sink, and would
certainly create an enthralling introduction to The Tempest as a whole.
Scene II
The setting now shifts to the island, which is the central and sole location of this play.
As a side point, this is something particularly interesting about The Tempest. The play
is rich in characters, and narrative, but, unlike majority of the rest of Shakespeare’s
pieces, there is only one location on which the action takes place- the island.
Two important characters are introduced: Prospero, the grand master magician and
ruler of the island, and his daughter, Miranda.
Miranda, seeing the storm, asks her father, who she assumes put ‘’the wild waters in
this roar’’, to stop the tempest.
Prospero reassures his daughter, saying that he has done nothing but care for her.
He then proceeds to tell her about his history, what happened before they arrived on
the island twelve years before.
At that time, Prospero was ‘’the Duke of Milan and / a prince of power.’’ Prospero,
however, was more inclined to occupy his time with ‘’secret studies’’, and thrust the
responsibilities of government upon his brother, Antonio.
Antonio used his power to ‘’set all the heart i’ the state/ to what tune pleased his ear’’,
i.e., to get people to support him.
Antonio then conspired with the King of Naples, an enemy of Prospero, to usurp
Prospero from the dukedom and give all power to his brother. One night, a
‘’treacherous army’’ led Prospero and Miranda out of the city, and out of his power.
They were put on an old, wrecked ship and set out to sea. By ‘’Providence divine’’,
they washed ashore the island.
They had some food, clothes and books from Gonzalo.
